its rottenness and corruption, and we shall do either only in proportion as we bear abroad the name of Christ, in whom is "life; and the life is the light of men.”

Nor need we omit allusions to other associations connected with this figure. The dew, formed in the silence of the darkness while men sleep, falling as willingly on a bit of dead wood as anywhere, hanging its pearls on every poor spike of grass, and dressing everything on which it lies with strange beauty, each separate globule tiny and evanescent, but each flashing back the light, and each a perfect sphere, feeble one by one, but united mighty to make the pastures of the wilderness rejoice-so, created in silence by an unseen influence, feeble when taken in detail but strong in their myriads, glad to occupy the lowliest place, and each "bright with something of celestial light," Christian men and women are to be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord.

Brethren, that characteristic, like all else which is good, belongs to us in proportion as we keep near to Christ Jesus, and are filled with His fulness. All these emblems which have been occupying us now, originally belonged to Him, and we receive from Him the grace that makes us as He is in the world. He Himself is the Warrior King, the Captain of the Lord's host, the true Joshua, whose last word ere His cross was a shout of victory, "I have overcome the world"—whose promises from the throne seven times crown the conqueror who overcomes as He overcame. He makes us His soldiers and strengthens us for the war, if we live by faith in Him. He Himself is the Priest-the only eternal Priest of the world—

who wears on His head the mitre and the diadem, and bears in His hand the sceptre and the censer; and He makes us priests, if faith in His only sacrifice and all prevalent intercession be in our souls. He is the dew unto Israel-and only by intercourse with Him shall we be made gentle and refreshing, silent blessings to all the weary and the parched souls in the wilderness of the world.

Everything worth being or doing comes from Jesus Christ. Heroic courage! Then hold His hand, and He will strengthen your heart. Glad surrender! Then think of His sacrifice for us until ours to Him be our answering gift. Priestly power! Then let Him bring us nigh by His blood that we too may be able to have compassion on the ignorant and to draw them to God. Dewy purity and freshness! Then open your hearts for the reception of His grace, for all the invigoration that we can impart to the world is but the communication of that refreshing wherewith we ourselves are refreshed of Christ. In every aspect of our relations to the world, we draw all our fitness for all our offices from that Lord, who is and gives everything that we can be or do. Then let us seek by humble faith and habitual contact with Him and His truth, to have our emptiness filled by His fulness, and our unfitness made ready for all service by His all sufficiency.

And let me close by reiterating what I have said already. There is a twofold manner of subjection—the spurious and the real. The involuntary is nought. The glad and cheerful surrender alone is counted submission. This Psalm shows us Christ surrounded by His friends who are

glad to obey. But it also shows us Christ ruling in the midst of His enemies. They cannot help obeying; His dominion is established over them. But they do not wish to have Him to reign over them, and therefore they are enemies-even though they be subjects. Which is it with you, my brother? Do you serve because you love—and love because He died for you? or do you serve because you must? Then, remember, constrained service is no service; and subjects without loyalty are rebel traitors. Our Psalm shows us Christ gathering His army in array. He is calling each of us to a place there, in this day of His power, and day of His grace. Take heed lest the day of His power should for you darken into that other day of which this Psalm speaks-the day of His wrath, when He strikes through kings, and bruises the head over many countries. Put your trust in that Saviour, my friend, cleave to that sacrifice, then you will not be amongst those whom He treads down in His march to victory, but one of that happy band of priestly warriors who follow Him as He goes forth conquering and to conquer.

Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us . . . . must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

THE fact of Christ's resurrection was the staple of the

first Christian sermon recorded in this Book of the Acts of the Apostles.

They did not deal so much in doctrine; they did not dwell very distinctly upon what we call, and rightly call, the atoning death of Christ; but they proclaimed what they had seen with their eyes-that he died and rose again.

And the resurrection was not only the main subject of their teaching, but it was the resurrection in one of its aspects and for one specific purpose. There are, speaking roughly, three main connections in which the fact of Christ's rising from the dead is viewed in Scripture; and these three emerge upon the consciousness of the early church successively.

It was, first, a fact affecting Him, a testimony concern

ing Him, carrying with it necessarily some great truths with regard to Him, His character, His nature, and His work. And it was in that aspect mainly that the earliest preachers dealt with it. Then, as reflection and the guidance of God's good Spirit led them to understand more and more of the treasure which lay in the fact, it came to be to them, next, a pattern, and a pledge, and a prophecy of their own resurrection. The doctrine of man's immortality and the future life was evolved from it, and was felt to be implied in it. And then it came to be, thirdly and lastly, a symbol or figure of the spiritual resurrection and newness of life into which all they were born who participated in His death. They knew Him first by His resurrection; they then knew the power of His resurrection as a witness for their own; and they knew it as being the pattern to which they were to be conformed even whilst here on earth!

The words which I have read for my text are the Apostle Peter's own description of what was the office of an apostle-" to be a witness with us of Christ's resurrection." And the statement branches out, I think, into three considerations, to which I ask your attention for a few moments this morning. First, we have here the witnesses; secondly, we have the sufficiency of their testimony; and, thirdly, we have the fact to which they bear their witness. bearers. Our witness is enough to The fact to which we witness is all religion and the hopes of the world. I. First, then, the Witnesses.

importance of the We are testimonyestablish the fact. important for the